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Saturday, April 22, 2017

Jay-Z Partners with National Geographic for a Global Documentary Series

National Geographic, Shawn Carter and The Weinstein Company to Partner on New Global Series RACE (W.T.)

Inspired by “JAY Z: The War On Drugs Is An Epic Fail,” RACE (W.T.) Exposes the Blunt Reality of Injustice and Race in America

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--National Geographic, Shawn Carter and The Weinstein Company will partner on a new global documentary series, RACE (W.T.), which will give a stark and provocative look into systemic injustices in America. The six-episode series will air globally on National Geographic in 171 countries and 45 languages.

“National Geographic and JAY Z are the world’s foremost storytellers in their own right, and we’re thrilled to be working with them on such an evocative and meaningful project”

Inspired by and an extension of issues introduced in “JAY Z: The War On Drugs Is An Epic Fail,” the series will weave together documentary, animation and archival footage to tell a profoundly intimate, highly cinematic and strikingly inventive collection of curated tales. Present-day stories will be captured via vérité footage of a diverse mix of people from all walks of life in cities across America – from immigrants to first-generation Americans and unsuspecting voices that might otherwise go unheard. Through these intimate sequences and additional archival footage of decisive cultural moments that have contributed to mass incarcerations, inequality in education and other social ills, RACE (W.T.) will contextualize both past and present events.

Added Shawn Carter, “The stories explored in the project are necessary, and conversations that this series will inspire are needed. The country is not more divided than ever. The deep-rooted wounds and beliefs that are ingrained in our psyche and infect our society have always been here. Right now, we are experiencing the resurgence of attitudes from an ugly time in our history. When talking heads spoke of a post-racial United States of America, prejudices snuck into dark corners; injustices never stopped; and stereotypes never faded. Why can’t a person of color walk down the street? Why is a person of color guilty until proven innocent? What is the responsibility of the media, local officials, community and religious leaders? What is our responsibility to each other? With this series, in partnership with The Weinstein Company and National Geographic, we hope to hold a mirror to our broken institutions and ourselves.”

“National Geographic and JAY Z are the world’s foremost storytellers in their own right, and we’re thrilled to be working with them on such an evocative and meaningful project,” says Harvey Weinstein, Co-Chairman, The Weinstein Company. “By using highly cinematic storytelling techniques along with JAY Z’s singular point of view, (the series will tell a dramatic, thought-provoking story on race in America.”

“Racial injustice continues to plague our nation socially, economically and politically. The stakes have never been higher,” said Courteney Monroe, CEO, National Geographic Global Networks. “We have such exceptional storytellers in The Weinstein Company and in world-renowned icon JAY Z, whose own personal life experiences will give powerful context to these issues. Together, we hope to not just present a straight-forward documentary on race, but we hope to ignite a global conversation and build the groundswell needed to bring change and awareness to the issues.”

RACE (W.T.) will explore topics that have become crucial issues in America. The six episodes will delve into crime & punishment, wealth inequality, the role of social media, activism and family. Additionally, in January 2018, National Geographic Magazine will dedicate a full issue to race.

For more information, follow on Twitter using @NGC_PR.

RACE (W.T.) will be produced by The Weinstein Company for National Geographic. For The Weinstein Company executive producers are Harvey Weinstein, David Glasser and Patrick Reardon. Shawn Carter is executive producer. For National Geographic, Betsy Forhan is executive producer; Kevins Mohs is vice president, production; Alan Eyres is senior vice president, development; and Tim Pastore is president, original programming & production.

About The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein. During Harvey and Bob’s tenure at Miramax and TWC, they have received 357 Oscar nominations and won 82 Academy Awards®.

Weinstein Television boasts an active television production division which garnered twelve Emmy nominations in 2015. Weinstein Television produces the reality powerhouse Project Runway, with its spin-off series Project Runway All Stars, hosted by Alyssa Milano, Project Runway Jr, featuring supermodel Hannah Jeter and fashion critic Kelly Osbourne. Current new series include the business focused Fashion Inc. which premiered this fall on Lifetime, late night AMC talk show Geeking Out, and TIME: The Kalief Browder Story which premiered on Spike in March.

Scripted series include critically acclaimed miniseries War & Peace, which debuted on Lifetime, A&E and HISTORY in 2016, Scream with MTV, which premiered its second season in May 2016, Peaky Blinders with Netflix just aired its third season, and Julian Fellowes’ Doctor Thorne with Amazon. Upcoming series include Stephen King’s The Mist (a straight-to-series 10 episode order) for Spike TV, military drama Six (a straight-to-series 8 episode order) for HISTORY and animated series Spy Kids for Netflix (a multi season commitment).

Television projects in development explore a range of arenas and are not exclusive to drama or comedy, minis or continuing series, live action or animated. An active slate of more than 60 projects include soon to be sold reality competition show Incubator, Mario Puzo’s Omerta with Antoine Fuqua and Sylvester Stallone, Stephen King’s The Breathing Method with Blumhouse, Scott Teems and Scott Derrickson, and UK series SS-GB and Love, Nina. For more information on The Weinstein Company, please visit: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Official Website

About National Geographic Channels
The National Geographic Channels (The Channels) form the television and production arm of National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between 21st Century Fox and the National Geographic Society. As a global leader in premium science, adventure and exploration programming, the Channels include: National Geographic Channel (NGC), Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo People and Nat Geo MUNDO. Additionally, the Channels also run the in-house television production unit, National Geographic Studios. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society’s commitment to exploration, conservation and education with entertaining, innovative programming from A-level talent around the world, and with profits that help support the society’s mission. Globally, NGC is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages, and Nat Geo WILD is available in 131 countries and 38 languages. National Geographic Partners is also a leader in social media, with a fan base of 250 million people across all of its social pages. NGC contributes over 55 million social media fans globally on Facebook alone. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com and www.natgeowild.com.